True Dedication: The Loyal Fans of Our Magnificent Blue Angels

Americans flock from all over to see astonishing skill in the air

Brad Stire,

AARP Experience Counts

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Published November 07, 2024

a crowd watches clouds of smoke and fire

A bombing run demonstration performed at a 2019 Blue Angels show in El Centro, California.

Brad Stire

Every year, millions of fans and spectators converge at beaches, regional airports and military bases all across the United States. From March through November, they trek sometimes hundreds of miles to see and feel a thunderous half-hour performance by the Blue Angels, arguably the most recognized name in the world of aviation.

The Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, perform for an estimated 11 million spectators annually. Founded in 1946, the team’s name was derived from a famous New York City nightclub of the era, suggested by a pilot who saw an ad for the club in a magazine.

Since then, over 270 pilots have flown for the six-aircraft team. Eight different types of aircraft have been flown by the team in its 78-year history, the F/A-18 Hornet — the choice from 1986 until the present day — being the longest serving. U.S. Marine Corps as well as Navy pilots fly and in 2022 the first female demonstration pilot joined the team.

The Blue Angels fandom is expansive. The merchandise — from t-shirts and patches to model airplanes and cologne — has proliferated across the globe. Many veterans attend, honoring the generations of sacrifice and commitment given to their country. Many of the young people leave inspired to become pilots themselves — and many will.

Hero pilot compilation from a 2023 show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Brad Stire

I grew up in Louisiana and many of my childhood summers were spent traveling to Pensacola, Florida, home base for the Blue Angels and site of an annual flight demonstration by the team. My father had been in the U.S. Navy and had a lifelong admiration for the skill and dedication of naval aviators, as well as the explosive display of mechanical power from the aircraft.

I first attended a Blue Angels performance at Pensacola Beach when I was six or seven. The summertime show is a tradition for generations of families across the Gulf Coast. Mississippi resident Matt Woods, 44, said, “I was 10 years old at my first Blue Angels show. Watching those jets zip through the sky in perfect formation and pull off crazy maneuvers left me totally hooked and thinking about it all year.”

A spectator sits in the shade at an air show

A spectator in the shade at a 2019 air show in Camarillo, California.

Brad Stire

To my surprise, seeing the Blue Angels once again in 2017, thousands of miles from Pensacola Beach, felt strikingly familiar in spirit to the events of my childhood. A 700 mph “sneak pass” (a single jet coming through low and fast, without warning) over the waters of Huntington Beach startled spectators just as much as I remembered.

In my late 20s, I relocated to Southern California to pursue a career in photography and visual art. In the fall of 2016, I attended my first West Coast air show in Apple Valley, California, hopeful that the event would be rich with activities to photograph.

An aerial demonstration in Camarillo, California, in 2019.

Brad Stire

I was enamored with the familiar energy from both the performance and the audience, set in an unfamiliar desert landscape, 2,000 miles from the Gulf Coast. This began an eight-year project covering air shows across the Southwest U.S. and the fans who follow.

From the ground, the jets fly close enough that they appear to be attached by the wings, as they tear across the horizon. Spectators always walk away with a favorite maneuver. Sally Sharp, 51, from Southern California, said: “My favorite Blue Angels maneuver has to be the Diamond Formation. Seeing those jets slice through the sky in perfect sync, each one so close to the others, never fails to give me chills. It’s like watching a perfectly choreographed dance in the air.”

It is common to feature opening acts, leading up to a headlining Blue Angels appearance. These often include aerobatics — maneuvers performed in planes, gliders and helicopters — skydivers and wing walkers, stunt performers who climb onto the wings of a moving aircraft and perform tricks while the plane is in flight).

These amateur entertainers are unaffiliated with the Blue Angels team or the U.S. military. Some spectators arrive in their own planes to observe airshows at smaller airports. This also provides an opportunity to show off custom personal aircraft, such as a shining silver prop plane adorned with the words “Jesus is Lord” in colorful text.

A personal aircraft on display at a Blue Angels show in 2017.

Brad Stire

“I absolutely love watching the skydivers at airshows; seeing them fearlessly leap into the sky and pull off those smooth landings is always so thrilling," said Kathy Bell, 59, from Louisiana.

The skill and focus required to fly in precise formation are astonishing. The aircraft are sometimes just 18 inches apart, and despite the training and professionalism of the pilots, incredible risk is involved: since the Blue Angels were formed, 26 pilots and one aircrew have been killed in crashes.

A fan photographs an aerial demonstration in San Bernardino, California, in 2017.

Brad Stire

A new 92-minute documentary on the Blue Angels, produced by Glen Powell (Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick) and J.J. Abrams (one of Hollywood’s top action directors) is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

I hope the film will excite fans and inspire newcomers to attend a Blue Angels performance or air show or even just discover the existence of these gatherings. Being among the fans as they marvel at the Blue Angels is a special experience.